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Non Surgical Eyelift - A Great Option For Dark Circles and Tired Eyes

 

If the eyes are the window to the soul, shouldn't they have excellent window treatments? Now more treatments than ever before are available to bring back youthful, bright eyes.

Eyes that look tired have historically been difficult to treat. The reason is that the appearance of tired eyes is caused by several factors, some of which respond to treatment and some of which do not. There are usually five components that make up the appearance of puffy and tired looking eyes.

1. Dark pigmentation of the under-eye skin. The predisposition to this is usually genetic. Some people get it early in life and some later. Pigmentation is also affected by ethnicity. Indians, for example, are more prone to having noticeably dark pigmentation under their eyes.

Treatment options: There's not much that can be done about dark pigmentation. Bleaching creams with hydroquinone or kojic acid sometimes help.

2. Fine lines and wrinkles throughout the lower and upper lids - "crepey" skin. This usually comes with age. Of course, there is some genetic variability as to when and how severe the wrinkles become. These fine lines are cause by the loss of elasticity and subcutaneous fat that comes with age. Sun damage is also a major factor that accelerates the development of these lines.

Treatment option: Currently, the only solution to this issue is laser treatment. Dr. Alexander Rivkin states, "The only type of laser that I have seen that actually makes any difference in under eye wrinkles is the fractionated CO2 laser." Examples of this kind of laser include the ActiveFX and the {!Fraxel re:pair. | fraxel} The laser treatment is relatively quick and easy, but there are about 7 days of downtime. Results, however, are dramatic.

3. Bulging of the skin under the eyes caused by fat tissue that is "pooching" out. Again, this is a combination of age and genetic predisposition. This effect is caused by a weakening of the membrane that usually keeps orbital fat in check. The fat tissue bulges through the membrane and into the skin of the lower eyelid.

Treatment option: This is typically a surgical issue. If there is a large amount of bulging, only surgical eye lift with fat repositioning will really help. However, if there is only a small to moderate amount of bulge, the doctor can use hyaluronic acid (Juvederm or Restylane) under the bulge to camouflage the appearance. If you raise the skin under the bulge with a filler like Juvederm, filling in the valley between the cheek and the lower eyelid, the bulge is hidden.

4. "Tear trough" under eye area indentation - per Rivkin, "this is the situation that is most common in my practice." Age and genetic predisposition cause fat loss, leading to an indentation in the "naso-jugal groove" (the area underneath the lower eyelid, above the cheek), a shadow falls into the groove and the person's eyes appear tired. This is easily corrected with injection of a hyaluronic acid filler. He goes on to say, "I prefer Juvederm because it is smooth and lasts for over 1.5 years in that area." This is a technically difficult procedure and should be done by experienced injectors only, so if you're thinking of having this procedure done, you should certainly find out how many the doctor has performed.

Aside from filler lasting there 3 times as long as any other area, the other unique quality to the under-eye area is that it is pretty much painless. The skin doesn't seem to have a lot of pain nerve connections.

5. Loose upper eyelid tissue that overhangs the eyelid is another element in making the eyes look tired. This is exclusively a surgical issue. A conservative surgeon should be able to take off only a small amount of skin, leaving a natural appearance. The danger in being too aggressive is that the patient will have a hollow appearance to their upper eyelid area. The surgeon should take account of future fat loss with age and should err on the conservative side. A good if slightly tight result now can become a hollow, terrible result in 15 years.photo of Alexander Rivkin

Alexander Rivkin M.D. is a Yale trained facial cosmetic surgeon and UCLA faculty member who has focused his practice exclusively on providing his patients with the latest in non-invasive, non-ablative cosmetic treatments. Dr. Rivkin is an international authority on non surgical cosmetic treatments. He divides his time between patient care, clinical research, educating other physicians, media appearances, and lecturing at scientific conferences throughout the world. Dr. Rivkin has made his name in developing non-surgical alternatives to commonly performed cosmetic procedures. He has been featured on the shows like the TODAY show, the Tyra Banks Show and EXTRA as well as in numerous national publications for the innovative procedures he has invented. He was the first physician in the country to offer the Non-Surgical Nose Job, his signature method for non-invasive correction of cosmetic nasal irregularities.